History of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
The FoundationsOn May 1, 1831, the Fathers of the Society of Jesus founded a college in Namur with the distinctive feature of providing philosophical education at both secondary and higher levels.Two years later, in August 1833, a two-year candidacy in "Speculative Philosophy and Letters" was devised and created. It would be effectively undertaken the following academic year, that of 1834. This was the birth of UNamur's Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.As early as 1835, the new program advocated enabled students to prepare for the state jury examinations to acquire the legal grade of Candidate in Philosophy and Letters. The program was then legally recognized as a diploma.Early developmentsIn 1890, the application was enriched by offering four sections: philosophy, history, classical philology and Romance philology. A preparatory section for law was added and became an autonomous faculty in 1967.From College to UniversityIn the inter-war years, the establishment progressed. The law of 1929 assimilated the Collège Notre-Dame de la Paix's faculty of philosophy and letters to the universities, which awarded candidate diplomas in philosophy and letters. Students were no longer obliged to be examined by the central jury.The time of reformsDespite a difficult financial situation due to the lack of state subsidies, the faculty continued to develop.The second half of the twentieth century saw the advent of numerous reforms. From 1953 onwards, girls were admitted to the Faculties on condition that they were from the city of Namur or a contiguous commune (the condition was lifted in 1965).In 1955, new, more spacious buildings made it possible to accommodate more students, even if their numbers did not increase significantly until the 1980s.In 1961, the sections of Germanic Philology and Art and Archaeology completed the existing sections. Lay professors were gradually added to the teaching staff.From 1971, the government decided to grant the university operating subsidies calculated according to the same criteria as for other university institutions. The Faculty of Philosophy and Letters thus benefited from the improved financial situation of the institution as a whole.The "today of the faculty"In 1994, the decree on the university study regime empowered the faculty to organize the doctorate in philosophy and letters.Ten years later, in 2004, following the so-called "Bologna" reform aimed at enabling greater collaboration between universities at European level, the candidacy cycle was transformed by ministerial decree into a three-year bachelor's degree..
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Louise D'Haegeleer
Association of Old Germanists
Creating links, building bridges to Germanic culture with rigor and passion: this was the major objective of the "Founding Fathers", Professors Martien J.G. de Jong, Michel Hanot and Léo Somers, who created the Germanic section in September 1961. A lot has changed since then, in academia as in the world at large, but no matter where our lives take us, we always retain this part of our Namur and German identity: "I'm from Namur", "Were you at the Facs too?", "Ah, we miss the 5th floor!"On this webpage, we'd like to share with our alumni a few tributes to our founding fathers and their successors. We also offer a look back at our 50th anniversary celebrated in 2011, and some photos of our more recent activities. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to add your contact details so we can get in touch with you about activities, and/or if you'd like to help us organize activities in the future!
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50 years of Germa
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Find out more about the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
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Art history and archaeology studies
Set out to discover the privileged subjects of the archaeologist and art historian, and discover the works of art and material witnesses of the past and present! Training in art history and archaeology teaches you to identify all artistic and technical achievements, from their origins to the present day, to place them in context, to study the evolution of forms and their socio-cultural, political, economic, religious and aesthetic significance.
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Studies in ancient and modern languages and literature (Latin-French)
From the heritage of a civilization to the foundation of our cultureThe bachelor's degree in ancient and modern languages and literature stands at the crossroads of two complementary fields - Latin and French - and studies them from a linguistic and literary perspective.The program gives you access, in the original language, to the founding texts of our culture, from Antiquity to the Renaissance, in Latin, and from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Era, in French.
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Studies in French and Romance languages and literature
You're still under the spell of the book you've just finished. Such talent makes you dream. It gives you, once again, the desire to learn more about this beautiful French language, to discover its literature and authors, and to develop your analytical, critical and writing skills. Studying French and Romance languages and literature will give you the opportunity to develop all these skills and turn your passion into a powerful tool for professional integration.
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Studying Germanic languages and literature
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela Studying Germanic languages and literature offers you much more than mastering communication in Dutch, English or German. It also offers you a "journey" through the linguistic, literary, cultural, socio-political and media landscapes of Dutch-, English- or German-speaking countries, and enables you to acquire intercultural skills in high demand on the Belgian and international job markets.
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Studying in the Faculty of Science
If the phenomena you observe fascinate you and feed your curiosity, your need to understand and go further, your future starts here. Embark on a captivating journey to the heart of exploration, knowledge and innovation, where every experience shapes your potential. Welcome to the Faculty of Science at the University of Namur!
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